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Personal Assistant

PAs also need an MBA

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:02

By Liza van Wyk

Going after a skills development course while working used to be unusual. Not anymore. Juggling work, family and education no longer means having to make serious sacrifices.

There are part time programmes, short courses, fully online solutions and a mix of hybrid offerings to fit any Personal Assistant (PA) schedule.

Indeed, juggling studies with a full-time job and family help gain future promotions in a competitive landscape. PAs are among a growing legion of workers seeking executive education, aiming to expand their skills and knowledge to get a better job or advance in their current career.

True, because of the competitive economy, we've become more efficient on how we run businesses and companies want to have their workers become more efficient as well.

Skills development courses are also increasingly catering to many employees who work full-time and have families and other personal obligations. Businesses are realising they have to be nimble. Things are changing and changing very quickly.

However, not every PA will be catapulted to the top of their organisation after completing a PA MBA. Nonetheless, a PA MBA provides a strong boost to workplace skills and knowledge. And PAs have an opportunity to step back from the day-to-day office routine to network and assess their careers amidst other professionals.

Corporations want to see tangible returns for the time and money invested, regardless of an employee's personal development. While most human resource departments have a list of favoured programmes, employees must diligently search out providers and programmes that will reap benefits for both themselves and the company.

The growth in advanced skills development programmes stems from the belief that knowledge is just as valuable as capital. It's not money that's standing in the way of business, many experts feel, but a workforce ill-prepared to learn and adjust to new technologies.

Indeed, no longer do companies seek PAs with only a theoretical knowledge of accounting, finance and marketing. These days companies demand PAs who understand information technology and holistic business. More skills development programmes are offering updated courses in business skills and diversity. Cross-disciplinary courses which examine ethics and technology or environment and business, are quickly becoming requirements for personal assistants.

We are especially exposed to changes taking place in the world around us. You clearly want to be in a position to change as the world around you evolves, this is not an option but a requirement.

Besides better positioning you in the workforce, additional training can broaden your perspective and expand your career portfolio. It can also help you increase your earning power and land a better position.

Skills development is only part of the formula. It's merely a link in the long chain of career tools today's PAs must employ in order to succeed. The unwritten rules of the workplace--which include building alliance with key individuals, networking with employees on the rise and adapting to corporate culture--remain essential.

Increasingly, companies seek employees with several sets of skills. Information is much more a means of growing wealth than in the past. As a result, PAs in the 21st century have no other choice than to aggressively seek out knowledge and use it to increase their marketability.

Skills development and other midcareer training can only improve the chances of attaining professional success.

Liza van Wyk is CEO of skills development training organisation, BizTech. www.biztech.co.za . 0861 BizTech.